Anthology of Attraction
by Written Parody
Summary: A fic with chapters that correspond to the themes of Zutara Week 2009. Read inside for proper summary and more information. Zutara, Taang and Sukka
1. Crossover

**Please read: **Yes, I know author notes are usually overlooked because they're long and boring, but I beg that you bear with me and read every AN I write as it gives you the information about each chapter.

Yeah, I'm well aware Zutara Week 2009 has passed already, it's just that I got all these ideas for fics and it seemed a shame to just let them go. Be warned though: they're nowhere near good. They're roughly the same style and quality of the rest of my fics so… Yeah. You have been warned.

Each of the chapters are titled as the theme was for each day of Zutara Week. With the exception of this first chapter they are continuous. In other words; they all form one fic together.

This first chapter is a crossover of Avatar and the movie The Runaway Bride. One scene in particular in that movie will never be forgotten by me: I adore it, so that's where I'm going to start. It's going to be rather short but I'll try and make it as uncomplicated as possible. So Zuko takes the role of the handsome journalist and Katara gets the title of The Runaway Bride. Haru stars as fiancé number one, Jet as fiancé number two and Aang is 'lucky' number three. I won't bore you with anything else; if you haven't watched this movie yet and you don't feel like looking up its plot then feel free to skip to the actual first chapter of this fic.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar or The Runaway Bride in any way. That's why the plot of the movie didn't go 100 percent as shown in this fic and why Zutara isn't cannon.

* * *

**Crossover: Avatar/The Runaway Bride.**

Another wedding rehearsal. She tried not to pout as they drove up to the small church she'd gotten more than comfortable with over the past few weeks. Yes, she could understand why Aang was so anxious to get her comfortable with the notions but seven times was _enough _already. To distract herself she pulled down the mirror in front of her and peered at her reflection. Bright blue eyes set in a dark, pretty face greeted her. She looked fed-up to herself and she hoped it was just because she knew how she was feeling that it seemed that way. In the mirror she snuck a glance at the person on the back seat. He was looking out the side window, his arms crossed as he dwelled on his own thoughts. His messy black hair flopped across his face, hiding most of the scar that marred the left side.

Katara bit her lip as she remembered how different she felt about him now. The first time she had ever heard of Zuko was when she saw his name at the bottom of the newspaper column he had written about her. Or, to be more precise, her past disastrous attempts at marriage. Even now her stomach twisted slightly as she remembered how he had depicted her as a man-eating floozy and how she was going to do the same to Aang. She had written to the newspaper he worked at, complaining, and she resulted in him getting fired. When he showed up in her hometown she had had no doubt it was to cause more trouble. After a few run-ins, one that involved turning his hair a few different colours and another involving a break-in, they agreed to a temporary truce. She had agreed to let him tail around after her so that he could see she was not going to run away a third time.

Despite herself, and without knowledge of how it happened, her initial dislike for him had disappeared. Now when she looked at him there was no jolt of annoyance and dislike, even though he had given her one or two reasons to dislike him since he arrived. He was charming, she had to admit, extremely stubborn and almost _too _honest and observant. But despite all his flaws, and the fact that his sole purpose at that moment was to expose hers, she now liked spending time with him. Which was why she hadn't complained when Aang asked him to come along to the rehearsal.

The three traipsed into the church to find her bridesmaids, Suki and Toph, and the organist, Sokka, already there. The two girls' eyebrows rose as they saw Zuko enter, but they said nothing. She just rolled her eyes at them and took her place at the back of the aisle. Zuko silently moved to one of the pews but Aang stopped him.

"Stand where the preacher will," Aang told him. "I want you right there so you can see that this time it's different."

Zuko obeyed silently as Katara, bored, wondered to where the rope to the huge church bell hung. While Aang talked to Sokka and Zuko listened patiently, she loosely grabbed the rope and began to sway backwards and forwards, using the rope to keep herself on the balls of her feet.

"Shall we get started then? Kata- Katara?"

All eyes swivelled to the back as the church bell began to ring. Katara swung into view, clutching the rope. She looked rather flustered. Suki and Toph both held their laughter down as she stepped forward and got handed a bouquet. She held the fake flowers in her hands, her cheeks burning slightly. She looked up to the front and found that Zuko was grinning at her, his gold eyes light with laughter. Her cheeks warmed even more.

"Okay, sweetie, let's start," Aang smiled at her, motioning to Sokka.

The bridal march started up and Suki and Toph started down the aisle. At her cue Katara started forward, but after a few paces she stopped, shaking her head.

"I… I can't do this," she mumbled, not entirely sure why not but knowing her stomach was in a knot for a reason.

"Of course you can!" Aang replied, voice full of enthusiastic optimism. "Look, I'll show you." He bounded down towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Now let's take deep breaths."

Together the two of them breathed deeply, Aang moving his arms up and down as he inhaled and exhaled. Zuko looked away, hiding the smirk that crossed his face at the sight of Aang telling his fiancé to 'focus'. Seeing it in the restaurant had been bad enough.

'_Positive visualisation'… Right… _he scoffed to himself.

"Now don't worry, hunny, I'm going to be behind you all the way helping you along. Uh… Zuko? Would you stand where I have to so we know how far to go?"

"Now he's the groom?" Toph muttered to Suki.

Zuko had an eyebrow raised but he walked over to the spot Aang had been standing without complaint. He wanted to see what would happen next; he had a feeling it was going to be amusing. He shook his head as Aang went through his 'breathe and focus' routine again; she wasn't a wild horse, she was a human being.

He'd had his doubts about the marriage in the beginning because of her history but now he thought of it as just ridiculous. Aang was trying to change her into something she certainly was not. She seemed much freer when she was alone with him and not being told to focus and breathe and pack for their honeymoon up a mountain. Still, he knew how riled up she could get and so he had held his tongue as much as he could.

"Alright, baby, here we go. Sokka, start the music."

The organ started up and Suki and Toph once again made their way down the aisle. Aang stood behind Katara, murmuring things in her ear as she began to walk forward. She kept her eyes on the carpet, focusing on moving forward as Aang suggested. But looking down meant she had no idea how much further she had to walk, and so she looked up. Her blue eyes locked onto two gold ones that were watching her. As soon as she saw him, the deep breaths she had been taking were knocked out of her. With widening eyes she continued walking, now steady and unwavering, never looking away from Zuko's face.

"Great!" Aang enthused, jumping up to the pulpit as she rocked to a stop in the front of the church, facing Zuko. "Now the preacher is going to say…"

Her heart was beating too quickly in her chest as she stared at Zuko, unable to look away. She heard Aang's words as if they came from far, far away. The only two people in the universe were her and the man before her. His eyes were wide too, and he swallowed loudly, making her notice vaguely that his hands were shaking.

"And then he'll say 'You may kiss the bride'-"

That sentence rocked through to her brain, and she obediently leaned in, ready to comply. Zuko heard the sentence too, and his stomach contorted. She was the bride… And Aang _had_ just said that he could…

"And then Sokka you-Katara?"

Sokka had already started happily playing when he heard Aang's horrified exclamation. He swivelled around in his seat and his hands froze, making complete silence suddenly engulf the church. Aang's mouth was hanging open and he seemed to have forgotten his own advice to breathe deeply as his face was turning slightly blue. His huge, hurt eyes were trained on Zuko who was, as he had been allowed to do, kissing the bride. Katara had dropped her flowers and was obviously kissing him back. After a moment they broke apart, both of them staring at each other, unsure and giddy.

"How long has this been going on?" Aang said in a strangled voice, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"For about a minute actually," Katara whispered back dumbly.

"It was much longer for me," Zuko mumbled.

"Really?" She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at that.

"Right. Nice. Right." Aang unclenched his nose and then, without warning he punched Zuko through the face before storming out.

Zuko blinked, holding his nose but not uttering a sound. Sokka and the two bridesmaids followed him. Toph overtook Suki and Sokka as Zuko and Katara followed the procession out of the church.

"Wait!" Toph called to Aang. "Look, this might be a bit soon, but here's my number."

Aang shot her a scathing look, slammed the door to his car and sped away, seething. Sokka shot a look at Suki, who put her arms around Toph before the three walked off together. On the porch to the church Zuko and Katara turned towards each other again and for a moment they again just stared. Then suddenly their lips were entwined, hungrily searching. Katara's hands wove into Zuko's hair tightly and his hands crushed her to his chest as if he was never going to let go. Yet suddenly he broke off from her, staggering to the one side of the doorway while she stumbled to the opposite side.

"We have to talk about this," he panted.

"Yeah, talk," she agreed, just as breathless. She searched his face, trying to ignore the way her stomach lurched in happiness as she looked at him. "What're we going to do?"

He was silent but she could see he wanted to say something and yet was hesitating. She patiently stood and watched him mull over it. Finally she raised her eyebrows, coaxing him into telling her.

"Well…" he said uncertainly. "There's…" he swallowed. "There's going to be a wedding anyway…"

His eyes met hers and her heart nearly exploded with happiness. In an instant her arms were flung against his neck again and her lips were on his. For a while they just explored each other before she broke off and whispered in his ear.

"I'm not running this time. Promise."

* * *

Please review, I love reviews. And yes, I do know that the plot wasn't exactly the way the movie's went but I don't have it on DVD so I couldn't copy it to a T. Sorry for that, everybody.


	2. Blood

So this is where the actual fanfiction starts. It's AU set after The Southern Raiders and before The Ember Island Players. In other words; after Zuko was forgiven. (Let's all take a minute to remember how cute the Zutara hug was… Aaaw) Anyway, this first chapter was actually left for last, as I had a feeling I was going to enjoy it the most. Yes, I'm a very mean person for putting Zuko through all that, but if you're sensitive or hate gore or whatever I suggest moving on or scanning so you can skip through all the… descriptive parts.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything related to it. Not even Zuko's body (DAMMIT!)

* * *

**Blood **

The atmosphere in the campsite was tense. Nobody said a word as they all sat together around the dead ashes that had once been a fire. Every ear was pricked, waiting for the Avatar's return. Finally there was a telltale whoosh of air and Aang landed. His face was grim, and their hearts sank.

"There're more of them then we thought. To get out of here we're going to have to fight them."

He didn't sound very happy about it, but they all knew it was the only way. Aang sat down heavily and everybody started thinking. Sokka suddenly raised his head, picked up a stick and started scratching things in the sand. Zuko glanced at them and his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's probably our best shot," he told Sokka in agreement when he understood what the Water Tribe teen was getting at.

"But it's still very dangerous," Sokka replied with a sigh.

"What's your plan?" Toph asked him, and everybody moved in closer as Sokka began to explain.

"Most of them are situated here," he said, pointing to a cross on his roughly drawn map of the area. "Two of us are going to have to lie in waiting at their camp while the other three of us cause havoc with the small group of re-enforcements at the opposite end of the island. As soon as their backup has been taken care of, Aang shows himself to the scouts so they call the main army. That's when the two lying in waiting take them out until Appa can pick up everybody."

"That plan is seriously risky," Katara said.

"It's the best we've got," Sokka said grimly. "The people in the most danger will be the two ambushing the camp. If they mess up, we're all in trouble, but there's a good chance they're utterly screwed."

"I'll do it," Zuko said quietly.

Sokka looked at him and nodded, understanding and giving the sign that he trusted the Firebender to do it.

"He needs another bender to go with him," Suki spoke up, assessing the situation from a warrior's point of view.

"I-" Toph started, but Katara cut across her.

"No, I'll do it." Sokka began to protest at once and so she cut across him. "I know how Zuko attacks," he pointed out. "We'll make the better team."

She looked at the ex-prince for conformation, and he nodded.

"They'll also cause the most havoc," Toph added, a little unwillingly. "Because fire and water are opposites, attacking with both of them at once will result in more damage than earth and fire will."

The finer points of the plan were worked out before everybody decided to turn in for the night, knowing they needed all the strength they could get when taking on the troops. Zuko, wanting some air, was heading towards the jetty when Sokka stopped him.

"Don't let anything happen to her," the Water Tribe teen half threatened and half pleaded.

"I won't," Zuko assured him, his eyes sincere.

As he sat and watched the last of the sun disappear behind the horizon he realized how ironic it was: because he had fought with the Waterbender so often, she now knew how he attacked and they could use that knowledge to make themselves a good team. He shook his head, unable to understand how fate worked. His feet slipped into the water, and his thoughts turned back to two days ago when Katara had sat like that when he had brought Aang to her. He smiled as he heard her forgive him again. It had taken her long enough. Not that he blamed her; he could understand why she hadn't trusted him.

"Zuko?"

He turned to find said Waterbender walking along the jetty towards him. She sat beside him and he turned back to the water, rested his chin on his hands again and waited for her to speak.

"Do you think we'll be able to do it?" she asked him quietly.

"We will," he assured her, frowning when she didn't look convinced. "Katara, I know how you fight too, remember? We'll be able to win for sure."

She blushed slightly at the compliment hidden in his assurance. They sat in silence, each with their own thoughts, for another moment before she sighed, smiled and got up.

"Thanks," she told him softly. "I needed that. I'm going to turn-" She broke off and frowned slightly. "Were you training before I came?"

"No," he said, puzzled.

"Oh… It's just… You look really flushed…"

Without warning she bent forward and placed a hand on his forehead. His head jerked backwards a bit as his eyes widened. Her face became concerned.

"You feel warmer then usual, too. Are you feeling alright?"

He hesitated. Truthfully he had been feeling rather strange the whole day, almost like he had after he had freed the Avatar's bison. He had just assumed it was because he'd eaten barely anything, but now even the thought of food turned his stomach. That was why he had come out there to the jetty in the first place.

"I'm fine," he told her, convincing himself it was true.

She narrowed her eyes but then her face turned pacified and left with a 'goodnight'. Part of him felt guilty for deceiving her.

_But I wasn't really _he told himself. _I don't feel light-headed like last time. And I'm a Firebender; that's probably why I felt hot to her. _

He scoffed off her worries and continued to watch the night unfold all around him. After a long while he stood up with the intention of sleeping off whatever the weird feeling was. He had taken only a few steps when his stomach suddenly rolled. Clenching his jaws tightly together he launched himself at the bushes and, clutching a tree for support, lost his breakfast. He stood there, heaving, for a while before his insides felt stable enough for him to straighten up and begin walking again. Wrong decision: lunch followed breakfast.

_For Agni's sake! This just _had _to happen today… Agh from now on I'm double-checking the food before I eat it. I thought those peaches tasted funky… I hope the food poisoning is done tomorrow or I'm going to be skinned alive… _

Whispered goodbyes and good lucks sounded as Zuko and Katara slipped away from the rest of the group. They were the first to leave, with Sokka, Suki and Toph still travelling with Aang for a while until they reached their assigned spot. Sokka suddenly grabbed his sister in a hug and gave Zuko a meaningful look. The Firebender nodded at him, assuring the warrior slightly. Then the two benders took off, silently, towards the direction of the enemy camp. They found a thick patch of bushes easily and both sat down to wait. The campsite was full of noise so they probably could have whispered without being overheard, but they didn't dare chance it.

Katara stared straight ahead, fully focused on the mission. Zuko watched her and bit his lip. He knew he should be focused fully on the mission too, but he could not be as a part of him had to keep his temperature in check. He had woken up that morning and hadn't really felt that much better, but the previous night he had emptied his stomach of all its contents, and so even though even the smell of the breakfast the others had eaten had turned his stomach, he knew there was no danger of him throwing up again.

He had said nothing to the others about the way his head was thudding or about what had happened the previous night. He knew that they were nervous enough about the mission as it was; his confession would only make matters worse. He could control his temperature and he had an almost non-existent gag reflex, as he had proved to himself by sitting through half an hour of them eating food without heaving once. And, most of all, he owed it to Katara to be there to help her out.

She had, after all, only just forgiven him and he really didn't want to betray her trust yet again. A part of him was telling him that there was something strange about the way he wanted to be on good terms with her, but he paid it little attention. He was not going to let her or Sokka down. That promise was what kept him fighting his own body temperature, even when it became alarmingly difficult to keep it down.

Finally the time came. A shrill whistle came from far away and the entire camp erupted. Cries of 'The Avatar' or 'Hurry up and get him!' could be heard coming from all of the people. Zuko guiltily remembered when it had been him yelling those exact things and the guilt made his muscles tighten even more as he and Katara prepared to ambush them.

Heavy footsteps started sounding. The army was ten meters away from them. Seven meters… Four meters… A meter…

Both of them sprung out at the same time and instantly attacked. Fire and water whipped around the unsuspecting army, who only began fighting back after their first three lines had already been completely wiped out. As she fought, Katara found herself thinking with a smirk how right she had been: Zuko and her made an almost unstoppable team. Their enemies were being beaten, but they were now starting to earnestly fight back. She began counting down in her head how much time she had left until Appa came and they escaped. There was a cliff behind them and so all the two of them had to do was run and jump off it onto the bison's waiting back.

Everything was going perfectly according to plan, and the sense of danger was starting to leave her. Then, as she froze another three people, out of the corner of her eye she saw Zuko fall to his knees. She looked at him in alarm, searching for the place he had been hit and becoming confused when she saw none. She forced her attackers away and rushed to his side.

"Zuko? Zuko! What happened?"

"Don't stop fighting," he gasped at her, trying to push her away.

She ignored him. "Just tell me where to heal!"

"You… Ca… Ugh…"

He suddenly heaved, his palms pressed onto the ground. Gasping for breath and shaking, he tried to get himself under control. He was about to lift his head and tell her to stop being stupid and protect herself, when he felt something rising up his throat. He heaved again, and this time some liquid came out of his mouth. He blinked, dazed, feverish and confused. He hadn't eaten anything, so why wasn't his stomach empty? And why did his mouth taste like…

"Zuko!" Katara's voice was appalled as it came from what seemed like far, far away.

The groan of a great bison was heard but instead of running off the cliff as planned Katara stayed by Zuko's side.

"Aang!" she screamed. "Something's wrong with Zuko! He's bringing up blood!"

Blood?

The Firebender blinked and looked down. Sure enough, there was a puddle of red liquid where he had thrown up. He stared at it, trying to put two and two together in his pounding head when a shadow fell across him. Looking up he was sure he saw his own death in the club that was bearing down towards him. But a blast of air saved him, just before two sets of arms pulled him up and supported him.

"What have you done to yourself?" one of the people supporting him asked in a sympathetic voice.

_Suki _his tired brain told him as he tried to remain conscious.

"Come on, Jerkbender, we're nearly there. Don't give up now," Sokka said from his other side.

He willed his legs to work harder, but they felt like jelly. Finally, with a slight push from Suki and Sokka, he landed on Appa. He didn't bother moving from where he landed and instead just closed his eyes in relief. There were a few soft thuds, and then he heard the Avatar tell the bison to take off. There was movement below him, and then hands sweeping across his forehead.

"Zuko? Can you hear me?"

"What's wrong with him?" Toph asked, crawling to his side, worried.

Suki and Sokka did the same, both of their faces showing the same anxious expressions. In the Water Tribe boy there was also guilt: he had made Zuko promise to take care of his sister at all costs. What if it was his fault he lay there like that? Katara pulled some water out of her pouch and placed her hands over Zuko's body, searching for the problem.

"He has a virus," she told the others in shocked surprise. "It's busy eating away his insides. That's why he has a fever and why he's nauseous. He must have thrown up his stomach's contents, so the only thing that his body could think of doing to get rid of it is to make him bring up blood…"

"Can you heal him?" Aang asked from the reins, worried.

"Yes, but it's going to take a long time," she replied grimly. "If he had just told me in the beginning it could have been easier…"

Gently she placed her hands over his forehead, trying to bring down his fever slightly. The coolness made him moan in relief.

"It's okay," she told him soothingly. To Aang she added, "We have to land soon. I don't care where, but we have to get him somewhere where there is water and where the ground beneath him is stable."

Just as she said that Appa rolled in the air and Zuko felt his stomach lurching. His eyes squeezed shut tightly.

"Uh, Katara, it looks like he's going to blow again!" Sokka warned.

"Somebody get me a bowl or something!"

Suki grabbed a wooden bowl and flung it at Katara, who held it next to Zuko just as he rolled over to his side and heaved, bringing up more warm blood. A moan escaped his lips: it _hurt _like hell. Katara pushed him back onto his back and soothingly stroked back his hair, trying to calm his shaking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she sighed at him.

"I didn't want to let you down," he murmured back, his eyes still closed.

Her gaze turned puzzled as she looked at him.

"You wouldn't have," she told him. "We would've just made another plan, one where you didn't have to half kill yourself. Toph could've helped me out instead…"

"Then there would have been a greater chance of you getting hurt," he replied, his words meshing together as he slipped further into unconsciousness. "Didn't… want to let you down. Not again."

"Zuko…" she whispered, her face almost unreadable.

"I see land!" Aang yelled.

"Hold on, Sparky, we're nearly on something solid," Toph assured him.

Zuko said nothing. Toph's voice had sounded much further then Katara's had, and he couldn't quite remember how to reply. He struggled to open his eyes, unwilling to give up. He felt someone lean right down next to him, and suddenly he could vaguely feel breath tickling his ear.

"It's ok," Katara told him gently. "We can carry you. You can let go."

Darkness closed over his head so fast, he wondered later if he imagined the next part.

"And thank you."


	3. Jealousy

Chapter two! So remember that little virus Zuko had in the previous chapter? Aang caught it from him. But unlike our stubborn prince he stayed in bed from the beginning and let Katara treat it. But it's still a virus, so Katara has to heal him for a few days in a row. Her spending so much time with him shouldn't cause problems… Right?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Toph's awesome skill of being able to suss out who's being truthful.

* * *

**Jealousy**

The curtain of leaves that served as a door was constantly drawn across the opening to the cave Toph had created. Very little sound ever came from the inside except for an occasional load groan or coughing fit or a soothing chant. The cave was off-limits to everybody except Aang - the patient - and Katara- his healer. She spent so much time in there with him it had been almost a full day since Zuko had even caught a glimpse of her.

_He's overacting _the Firebender scowled to himself as he glowered at the opening with his arms crossed. _It wasn't _that _bad in the beginning. He's just hamming it up for Katara. _

He had been slightly scared that Katara would blame him for getting Aang sick, but to his relief she had made no such accusation at all. For the first two days she had even come out regularly to make sure he was still doing fine. But as soon as he was fully recovered she had devoted all her time to Aang, basically living inside the expanse of rock with him. Sokka had to keep reminding her to make sure she didn't catch the virus too, something the Water Tribe boy was very worried about.

_Not that he's been able to nag her about it since three days ago; she hasn't shown her face to him at all._

He glowered even more as he once again cursed the Avatar in his mind, this time for entirely different reasons then before.

"Wow. I'm blind and even I can see that scowl."

He barely turned to Toph as she came and sat on the rock he was leaning against. When all she got as a reply was a 'hmph' she continued.

"What's the problem, Hotman? Aang is sick and Katara is healing him. She didn't blame you for it, did she?" Zuko mumbled a curt 'no'. "Then what's-?" An evil grin crossed her features. "Oh I SEE; you're jealous!"

"Jealous?" Zuko yelped, surprised. "Me? Why on earth would I be jealous of Aang?"

_What _is _she talking about? Jealous of Aang? Why? Because he's spending so much time alone with Katara? Why would I be jealous of that? _

"You like her," Toph sang smugly.

"What? No! Well, yes, I do like her. But not like- I have Mai!"

Toph just grinned and shook her head.

"You broke up with her, remember? There's gotta be a reason for that. It would explain the way your heart beats when she's around…"

"You're insane," Zuko said, disgusted.

_Jealous of Aang because I like Katara… Yeah right… But… It would explain the way I acted when I got sick… _He mentally kicked himself. _Idiot! I was _sick _so I wasn't thinking straight. I'm not jealous… Am I? _

He shook his head, pushing out the thoughts. It was ridiculous! Jealous because the Avatar got all the peasant's attention. Honestly, he was going insane around these people.

"Just admit it," Toph teased. "You liiiiike her. You're jeeeeealous of him."

"And how would you know about jealousy?" he shot back at her, irritated. "Jealous of Katara because she's spending so much time with Aang?"

He expected her to deny it and scoff at him, but instead she looked away, a blush creeping up her face. He saw it and blinked in surprise, his arms loosening a bit.

"You… You_ are _jealous of her?"

She nodded very slowly, still looking away.

"But… I thought you liked Sokka?" He was shocked and confused.

"I had a crush on him, yeah," she admitted. "But he's got Suki. It's kinda impossible to deny how much they like each other."

At the mention of the other two Zuko looked around, searching for them. They were nowhere in sight, which meant they were somewhere alone… He grimaced as he remembered the night he had walked into Sokka's tent to find the Water Tribe boy in his underwear. He'd never get that image out of his head.

"So… Aang? Even though he likes Katara?" Zuko pressed lightly.

"I didn't mean it to happen," Toph growled. "It just did. He's liked her for ages… But it feels kinda like he's getting over his crush…"

She sounded so hopeful he couldn't bring himself to answer. He instead stayed quiet and thought about her and Aang together. Somehow the thought brought no revulsion just… peace. Like he'd known all along it was meant to be. Except it didn't look like it was going to happen; he was in there with Katara and Toph was out here consumed by jealousy. Jealousy… One of the strongest emotions in the world… His head perked up. That last thought had given him an idea.

"How about we make Aang take notice of you?" he asked her.

She looked at him quickly, sceptical.

"And how do we do that?" she asked dryly.

"We make him jealous," Zuko grinned. "You make him so jealous he forgets all about Katara and sees only you."

"Which leaves you in the clear to get Katara."

"If you mention that again I'm not going to help you," he snapped.

"Fine, fine. But I felt the way your heart leapt when you thought about it."

"Whatever you want to believe. Alright so we have to make Aang believe you and I have something going on… Hmm… Ideas?"

"Do you have any objections to mud wrestling?' Toph grinned at him.

Inside the cave everything was dark and pretty peaceful. Katara sat next to Aang's sleeping mat as he curled up under a lot of blankets. He was just drifting off to sleep when a noise started outside that made his eyes flutter open and made Katara glance up.

"What on earth?" she murmured, getting up to see what was going on.

Pulling back the curtain of vines she blinked in the sharp and sudden light. Squinting she turned towards the place where the noise was coming from. Toph stood there, tossing a handful of mud at Zuko. At a _shirtless _Zuko.

"What are you two doing?" she hissed at them, loud enough so both of them heard. They froze and turned to her. "Could you go and make noise somewhere else? Aang is trying to rest!"

With a final glare at the two of them- even though she knew Toph wouldn't see it- she marched back into the cave.

"What was it?" Aang asked, his voice slightly croaky.

"Zuko and Toph. They were mud wrestling…" she broke off as the information really sunk in.

"Really?" Aang sounded utterly shocked. "In their clothes?"

"No… Zuko was… shirtless…" Katara had to swallow after she said the word.

"Oh…"

Aang went quiet and Katara assumed he had fallen asleep. In reality he was wondering why Toph had gotten Zuko to take his shirt off and why it bothered him that much. His thoughts finally turned to weird dreams where clothes chased him around. Katara on the other hand was thinking about how much longer Aang would be sick by counting off the days Zuko was ill in her mind.

_He looked much worse then Aang. I thought his fever would never break… We were all so worried that he actually might die…_

Her thoughts were drifting to more disturbing memories of how the Firebender looked when sick when more noise reached her ears.

She scurried out as quickly as she could so she could stop the commotion before Aang woke up. Her puzzled expression turned to one of annoyance as she saw the source of the noise was, once again, Zuko and Toph. This time they were chasing a Butterflybird, having quite a bit of fun, or so it seemed.

"What did I tell you?" she snarled, making them both stop and wince as they both realized she was close to beating them both up. "Aang is sleeping so _shut up_. One more commotion out of you, and you'll both be frozen to a tree. Understood?"

Both of them sullenly muttered 'yes' and she stalked back into the cave, still seething a bit.

Honestly those two…

Toph looked glumly at Zuko.

"There goes our plan."

"Trust _her _to ruin everything," Zuko snorted, flopping down on the grass with his back leaning against a rock.

"Then again, I'm pretty tired after the wrestling and the chasing," Toph yawned, sliding down next to him. "And you are, too," she stated.

"Not that much," Zuko argued half-heartedly.

"Hmmm," was the only answer.

The two sat there in the afternoon sunshine, both pleasantly comfortable and sleepy. Zuko was on the brink of sleep when a heavy object suddenly fell on his shoulder. He looked to his right vaguely to find Toph's head resting on his shoulders. The little Earthbender was fast asleep. Zuko couldn't bring himself to wake her up so she could move; she looked kinda cute and it was just too much effort on his part. So, instead, he just leaned back, closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep too.

When Katara was sure Aang was fast asleep she decided to go out for some fresh air. Pulling back the 'door' to the cave she stepped outside and found the campsite seemingly deserted. She looked around and her eyes fell on a sleeping Zuko and Toph.

_Wait a minute… Why is her head on his shoulder? The mud wrestling and the frolicking… It didn't… It couldn't _possibly _mean that they… There's no way _Zuko _and _Toph _would ever get together… It's preposterous! They'd never work! _

_Wait…_She blinked suddenly, the frown disappearing. _Why do I even care so much? I'm not… _She laughed at herself. _I am _so _not jealous. …Am I? _


	4. Cactus Juice

Aaaaah :D Yes, it's _that _chapter. I have a feeling this is going to be fun to write… I do have to admit that the actual high part isn't going to be as funny as Sokka's first encounter in the show. It's going to be more fluff filled. Oh and just remember this chapter follows on from 'Jealousy' so those seeds have already been sown. Onto the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar or anything related to it. Although I'd love to have a taste of that juice just to see what I see under its influence…

* * *

**Cactus Juice**

His heart was pounding too fast as he walked briskly through the forest. He had taken this path to try and avoid being seen and attacked by thieves, but the dense forest around him made him wish he had just taken his chances. He was sure he was lost, and the eerie silence was making him jumpy. Suddenly, a flock of some kind of bird flew out of the bushes, and he jumped with a scream. As he twisted and fell, three bottles fell out of the sack he had slung across him. He didn't notice, however, and instead just leapt up and ran away, almost sobbing now in fear. All he'd wanted was to get to the market safely so he could sell the liquid they codenamed 'medicine' he held in the bottles he carried with him. When he finally reached a path, shaking, scared stiff and dirty, he vowed he'd never set eyes on another bottle of cactus juice again as long as he lived.

"The whole point of us deviating off the path is to remain unseen by the Fire Nation. But it won't help if you keep making so much noise!"

Sokka huffed and turned back towards his sister.

"I'm _trying _to get us through this undergrowth! It's not _my _fault the trees make so much noise when they fall!"

"Hello? Earthbender over here? I can clear a path for us easy," Toph said, exasperated at being ignored.

"That'll make a noise too!" Katara argued.

"Less then what Sokka's making," Aang pointed out.

Katara sighed, giving in.

"Alright. Toph, clear us a pathway to the clearing where we set up camp. Aang, are you still alright?"

"I'm fine," Aang replied breezily. "You're a great healer Katara; I feel as fit as a fiddle."

The Waterbender smiled and dropped the subject, throwing a look over her shoulder at Zuko, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He didn't _look _sick, just deep in thought so she shrugged and continued to walk, now on a pathway thanks to Toph.

"Hey you guys, look at this!" They all crowded around Suki, who was crouching on the ground. "It's a juice of some sort."

"It somehow looks familiar," Sokka frowned.

"How do you recon it ended up out here?" Aang asked.

"Beats me," Toph replied. "But I'm not going to pass up the chance at free juice."

They were a bit doubtful about it, but they took the bottles along with them anyway. They found the clearing as safe as they'd left it with Momo and Appa both asleep. A slight argument was started about whose turn it was to fetch the firewood and to go searching for edible fruit and in the end Zuko, Suki and Aang were chosen for the jobs while Katara, Sokka and Toph got to remain behind.

Toph smirked as the three walked off; she wondered if anybody would ever notice it was _never _her turn to do anything.

"Sokka! What are you doing?"

"I'm drinking the juice we found," Sokka replied in confusion, the bottle raised to his lips.

"You're just going to drink something you found lying about?" Katara was exasperated.

"It's _free juice_," Sokka replied as though that justified everything.

"Toph, back me up on this," Katara begged the Earthbender.

"Hey Snoozels, pass me one of those."

The Waterbender growled in defeat and pouted as the other two downed their bottles.

"Wow that's goooood," Toph said.

"Yeah… I've tasted it somewhere before…" Sokka scratched his head. "Katara, you going to drink the other one?"

She looked at it for a moment, deciding. Then she shrugged. Maybe it _was _time she loosened up a bit.

"Yeah sure, why not?"

The liquid was sweet and oddly refreshing as it slid down her throat. As soon as she lifted the bottle from her lips she wanted more. She saw Sokka grinning at her and she grinned back, suddenly finding everything in life a bit brighter. Toph suddenly began to giggle and Katara joined in, not knowing why. Before long all three were packed up laughing on the ground. It was then that the other three returned and the sight that greeted them froze them all in their tracks.

"Uh…" Aang's eyes widened.

"Sokka? Sokka, sweetie, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm greeeeeat," Sokka replied with a goofy grin, still giggling. "I haven't felt this good since I drank that cactus juice…"

"Cactus juice?" Zuko asked. "As in the stuff you told me you drank in the desert? The stuff that makes you hallucinate?"

"That's stuff's the quenchiest!" Sokka gargled.

Zuko, Suki and Aang shot each other a look. Suki bent down and picked up one of the empty bottles, sniffing it delicately.

"Well, we now know what was in the bottles," Aang said, trying to lighten the situation.

Toph suddenly sprang up and squealed.

"Oh my GOSH! Is that a kangaroopig I just felt running past? I HAVE to catch one!"

With that she was off into the bushes, chasing her imaginary kargaroopig. Sokka leapt up too and howled at Momo, who had apparently just stolen his peach. Before the other three could react, he had taken off too, yelling curses at the fleeing lemur. Katara lay on the ground and giggled, pointing at Aang as she did so.

"What?" he asked her, self-consciously.

"You have _really _big ears," she snorted, making Suki and Zuko shake with silent laughter and Aang clap his hands over the sides of his head.

"We have to go after those two so they don't hurt themselves or, in Toph's case, somebody else. But somebody needs to stay here with her before she runs off too… or starts attacking people. So who's where?" Zuko asked, casting Katara a look as though he was waiting for her to start freezing everybody where they stood.

"I'll go after Sokka; I know how to handle him," Suki said, turning and hurrying after said Water Tribe boy. "Don't worry Aang; I won't let him hurt Momo."

"I'll go after Toph," Aang said, turning away.

"Wait!" Zuko yelped. Panicked by the thought of staying alone with a drugged Master Waterbender made him clutch at straws. "Shouldn't you follow Suki's example and take care of the person you have a crush on?"

"I am," Aang replied.

As soon as the words left him he clapped his hands over his mouth and turned bright red as Zuko stared at him.

"I mean I'm going to! After… After I… !"

He was gone in a puff of wind.

"Well, at least Toph's plan to get him to notice her via jealousy seems to have worked," Zuko told Katara, who was still on the ground.

"Jealousy makes you nasty, nasty makes you fat," she replied in a sing-song voice.

"Right… Just don't freeze me to a tree or something, okay? I'm your friend."

"You're not looking that friendly," Katara replied with a frown. "You look maaaaaad."

"I'm not mad," Zuko replied truthfully, leaning on a tree in front of her.

"But you're so _grumpy._"

"Now I'm grumpy?" His eyebrow raised.

"You're always grumpy. Or moody. You never have fun."

"Neither do you," he reminded her, slightly irritated.

"Hmmm I don't, do I?" Her face brightened. "We can have some fun now!"

"Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea, Katara…"

"Now's the perfect time! All the colours are just right! Look at them falling!"

"Yeah, that's why I don't think it's such a good idea," Zuko muttered, looking at her apprehensively.

She gave him a lopsided grin and he couldn't help but smile back. She was kind of cute when she was like this. Much less aggressive, at any rate. She was encouraged by his smile and stood up, rushing towards him and causing him to take a step backwards.

"Oh come on, it's just a little dance!" she chided him in an airy manner. "It's going to be so much fun! In fact, I don't understand why we haven't danced before." A frown appeared on her face. "Oh right; I can't dance…"

"You can't?" Zuko looked at her in surprise. "You're a Waterbender… I assumed you knew…"

She shook her head. "Nope. Well, I know a tribal dance or two but not the type of dancing Toph knows. That you know?" she corrected herself with a question.

"Yeah, I know it," Zuko replied. "I had far too many years worth of lessons not to."

"Then we can dance! Come on, before the colours disappear!"

Before he could react she grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the edge of the clearing.

"Katara, we're not supposed to leave!" Zuko told her, digging his heels into the floor and causing them to stop.

She looked hurt for a second, and his heart panged. But then she shrugged and smiled and turned towards him, grabbing his other hand as well.

"Let's become dizzy!" she giggled, starting to spin him around.

At first he tried to fight her, but after a few failed attempts to get her to stop he resignedly gave in and started spinning around too. She laughed in glee as his added effort made them gain more momentum. Everything around him was a blur except her face, which was almost crystal clear as her eyes locked with his. He didn't know how long they spun that way before she tripped, making both of them land, sprawled out, on the ground. She began to laugh and although a part of him wanted to tell her it wasn't funny, he laughed too. Then he shut his eyes, trying to get the world to stay still again. After a while he felt her get up and he looked up to find her starting to spin around on her own. She let out a wild giggle as she went faster and he just shook his head as he watched her.

"Aren't you tired yet?" he murmured to himself. "You were up before any of us, and it's getting late now."

She didn't hear and so did not answer. With a sigh he stood up, thankful that the ground stayed solid underneath his feet. He shook his head at her again, scowling at her antics. The Waterbender was really something different, that was for sure. She suddenly stumbled and tipped forward. Without thinking, Zuko stepped forward and caught her before she fell. She blushed and giggled.

"I think maybe that's enough for one day," Zuko told her firmly, smirking when she didn't argue with him like she usually would.

"I'm sleepy," she yawned. "Will the pretty noises sleep with me tonight?"

"Uh… Sure… Come on, let's get back to camp."

"I'm too sleepy to walk," she said hazily, holding on to his neck.

He looked at her in shock as she almost rested her head on his shoulder. What in Agni's name was she doing? He felt his face heating up slightly; he wasn't used to her doing this.

"Will you carry me?"

He scowled again, deeper this time. What did he look like to her, her servant? He was about to tell her no in the curtest way he could when she looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Please?" she asked sleepily.

He swallowed, unsure why his heart was hammering in his chest. He hesitated for a few more moments, trying to find a way to get out of it but finding none. With a sigh he put his right hand behind her knees and then easily lifted her into his arms. Her grip around his neck tightened a bit, and now she really did rest her head against his shoulder. For a moment he looked down at her, his face a mixture of many emotions, before he began trudging the short distance back to the camp. He was glad to find it empty except for the two animals; who knew what a drugged Sokka would have done if he saw Zuko carrying his baby sister that way?

He gently lowered her onto her sleeping mat, which had mercifully already been rolled out. He wondered for a moment why she had put it behind a boulder where nobody else could see it. Maybe she wanted privacy for a change… As he began to pull away from her, her grip on him tightened even more.

"No," she mumbled, already half asleep. "You're warm. Stay with me."

Of course I'm warm… I'm bloody blushing… For what I have no clue but I am…

His brain reasoned with him that she was too asleep to be offended when he declined and pulled himself away from her, but for some reason he found himself lying next to her instead. She smiled, sighed and cuddled into his side. Again all he could do was look at her in shock, his hands raised on either side of his head. When she didn't move he slowly lowered them until they rested on her back. Somehow it felt right to have her face pressed to his chest, and that realization scared him somewhat.

_This is the Waterbender _he reminded himself firmly. _She was the last one to forgive you, and she loves the Avatar… _

_And yet she looks very happy snuggled up to you _a snide voice in his head said.

He mentally shook his head. It was preposterous. Even though she really did feel very nice… As the sun set the other two couples returned. They fell asleep almost instantly, none of them bothering to see where he was or how Katara was doing. He was thankful; he couldn't even explain why he was next to her to himself, let alone to them. As Sokka let out a snore, guilt settled in him and he tried to slip out from her grasp. She stirred and he froze.

"Hmmm… You're nice and warm…"

Her mouth was right by his ear now and her breath tickled his neck.

"And you smell nice," she sighed.

He looked closely down at her and found that she was still very much asleep. He didn't say anything in case he woke her, but did shift back into his previous position.

"I like… having you… nexttome," she breathed, smiling in her sleep as she snuggled closer.

"Me too," he whispered back to her, swallowing hard as he confessed the fact to himself as well as her. "Very much."

He lay awake for hours after that watching the stars and thinking. Eventually the sound of Katara's soft breathing lulled him into the best sleep he'd had in a long while. Momo woke him up just as the sun started to rise by accidentally dropping half his breakfast on his head.

"Momo," he groaned at the lemur as he wiped the fruit off his face.

His hand froze as he realized Katara was next to him. His eyes grew wide in mortification as he saw he'd actually had his arms around her while he slept… He swallowed hard and dragged himself away from her in double quick time, stumbling away as soon as he was free. He could feel his face burning as he put as much distance between Katara and him as he could. What had he been thinking? Why on earth had he done that? What would she say when she woke up?

"Zuko?"

He flinched as the last voice he wanted to hear stopped him from disappearing into the forest. He turned apprehensively, expecting her to yell at him and then freeze him to a tree. Instead he found her face peaceful, if a little confused.

"Is it morning already? But I thought…" She frowned. "Did I go to sleep?"

"Yeah," Zuko said cautiously. "You, Sokka and Toph drank the cactus juice and you… kinda just passed out," he lied.

"It was cactus juice?" Her eyes widened. "I didn't… I didn't do anything crazy before I fell asleep, did I?" She was the apprehensive one now.

"You mean you don't remember?" Zuko blinked.

"Nope… Last thing I can recall was drinking the stuff. Oh and a small snippet of a dream here and there."

Relief filled him and he nearly started laughing. He was off the hook; she didn't remember anything from the previous night. Maybe luck was finally on his side.

"Did I do or say… anything serious that I should know about?" she asked him, still anxious.

Gold eyes stared into her worried blue eyes as he heard her voice in his ear again and his voice replying with the confession…

"Nope. Nothing."


	5. Fireflies

This one doesn't really need that much of an explanation, it explains itself. Again, just remember that it follows on from the last chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or a single firefly.

* * *

**Fireflies**

Once again the two members of the Water Tribe were having an argument. They were standing about a meter apart and were glowering at each other as the rest of the gaang sat on the sidelines and watched. They knew by now getting involved would only get them in trouble too.

"Sokka we have to keep moving at all times!" Katara insisted.

"It's already too late to take off; somebody will see Appa," her brother argued.

"It's not _my _fault you refused to get up this morning! And don't blame it on the cactus juice; it was your choice to drink it in the first place!"

"It's pointless and too dangerous to go now. Let's just stay here for another day. We can get properly rested then."

"Sokka has a point," Aang interrupted timidly.

Katara just growled and stormed off. Sokka sighed but turned too Suki.

"Wanna go find some food?" he asked her.

"Oh no," Toph interjected. "We actually need supplies now, so _I'll _go with Suki. You two do no gathering whatsoever."

The Earthbender grabbed Suki's hand and yanked her around and Suki followed without complaint, blushing slightly at Toph's words. Sokka stared after her with a hurt look on his face. Zuko rolled his eyes and turned to Aang.

"Come on. We can use today to do some proper training."

Aang nodded and the two walked to the middle of the clearing and turned to face each other, both in a fighting stance.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Zuko warned a second before he attacked.

Aang barely managed to dodge but sent s fist of flames back at Zuko. The fight continued with Aang managing to keep Zuko at bay but not being able to attack him properly. Sokka yelled suggestions at him that were no help at all. Finally Zuko sent an attack so direct Aang was forced to Airbend to keep himself unscathed.

"No cheating," Zuko barked at him.

Aang scowled, angry with himself for not being focused. Form there on he concentrated on Firebending, which resulted in him losing focus on what was happening. Sokka's warning came a moment too late and even though he dodged out of the way, he still got a burn across his cheek. With a yelp he clapped his hands over it as Zuko froze, his eyes widening.

"Katara is going to kill you," Sokka told him in a hushed voice.

"I cannot believe you!"

Zuko tried hard not to blink as Katara's very angry face appeared inches away from his. Her blue eyes were hard in her anger, and the water she had used to heal Aang was now steadily frozen.

"I told you; it was an accident!" he yelled back at her, unable to keep his temper in check.

"I warned you!" she snarled, ignoring him. "Don't you remember what I told you in the Western Air Temple?"

"Katara, he's not lying!" Toph called.

"It really wasn't his fault!" Aang agreed, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

Katara yanked herself free, ignoring the two of them.

"You better get down on your hands and knees and beg again," she hissed at him.

His eyes narrowed.

"Never," he growled, steam rising from his palms.

The wave of water hit him square in the face, causing him to stagger backwards and knock into a tree. Shaking his wet hair out of his eyes he tried to rise and fight back only to be slapped with another wave.

"Katara stop!" Sokka yelled. "He didn't mean it."

She stood above him, her face blazing with anger as she looked down at him.

"One more false move," she warned him in a steely voice.

"It _really _wasn't his fault," Aang insisted, giving her a pleading look.

"You should actually be apologising to him," Toph pointed out calmly.

"I'll apologise to him the day the fireflies tell me too!" Katara yelled before she stalked off.

Zuko slowly stood up and dusted himself off.

She was still mad that evening as she peeled a fruit for their supper. Her movements were vicious and the look on her face kept anybody from talking to her. Suki had tried earlier, but had given up after all she'd gotten was glares and short answers. Nobody knew why Katara was still so angry; they all thought she had forgiven Zuko already. And the one person who actually had a chance at figuring out Katara's inner motives had disappeared somewhere. Aang wondered if she was wherever Zuko had slipped off to, and if they were mud wrestling again.

Suddenly, as if Aang's brooding thoughts had called her, Toph appeared from the thick fringe of trees. She silenced everybody's greetings and then quietly told them to hide from Katara's sight for a while. To their confused looks she just replied that she'd explain when Katara was gone.

"Hey, Sugar Queen," the Earthbender said breezily once everybody was out of sight. "I found some really great tasting berries in there but I need some help carrying them here."

Katara opened her mouth to tell Toph to ask somebody else when she noticed that that campsite was deserted save them. She looked around in confusion, not really believing it.

"Hello?" Toph asked her impatiently. "The food? Come on!"

With a sigh Katara followed her, still scowling slightly. After walking through the trees for a while she suddenly couldn't hear Toph's footsteps anymore.

"Toph?" Her voice was worried. "Toph where are you? This isn't funny! Toph!"

She forced her way forward through the trees and abruptly, without warning, stumbled into a clearing. She stopped dead in her tracks and gasped in wonder at the sight that greeted her. On the ground in front of her lay about a hundred fireflies, all held down by a fine sort of netting. They gave off a soft glow in the darkness of the trees as they lay there and Katara could hardly catch her breath at the beauty of them. The strangest thing of all was how they were arranged. Instead of just a line, each net had been carefully arranged so the fireflies spelled out 'Forgive him'.

"Will you listen to them?" Zuko's quiet voice asked her.

She looked up to find him standing across the clearing, looking at her intently. He was dirty and scratched and his clothes were torn in some places.

"You…?" she asked in wonder.

He shrugged, looking away.

"I know what it's like travelling with you when you're mad. I reckoned it was worth a try."

"Toph was in on it," she realized.

"She made this place for me. And held the nets while I caught them," he nodded.

She bit her lip, suddenly very ashamed. Her cheeks began to burn as she remembered how she had overreacted that morning. The fireflies were so beautiful and it was obvious he had gone through so much trouble to get them there…

"I'm sorry, Zuko," she whispered, unable to look at him. "I _knew _it wasn't your fault I just…"

"You care about him," Zuko excused her, his voice calm.

"It's not just that." She looked up at him again. "I… I don't really know _what _it was, really. Just that it… hurt… to think that you betrayed us again. I guess I've grown used to having you around."

Her hesitant smile was met by a half-smile by his. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to look away from those two points of gold, and he didn't break her gaze. For some reason she felt herself wanting to walk over to him… She swallowed, seeing him do the same.

"So is it over and done with yet?"

Both of them jumped as the rest came through the trees. Suki immediately 'aaaw'ed at the sight of the fireflies and Aang grinned as Katara nodded.

"Then we can set them free," Sokka said, bending down and starting to undo the netting.

The others followed suit and suddenly a whole lot of fireflies took off into the night air. It looked absolutely amazing and everybody was lost in the beauty. Sokka put his arm around Suki and she snuggled into him, making Zuko look away at the reminder of the previous night. His eyes widened as they fell on a sight he never thought he'd see in his life.

Toph's head was on Aang's shoulder and, unless he was mistaken, they were gently holding hands.

Katara saw his shocked expression and looked too, her face breaking into a gentle smile as she saw. At Zuko's questioning look she shook her head.

"They kind of belong together," she said quietly. "I'll always love Aang but… Well, you can see."

He could, and the sight of the two together was as peaceful as the thought of them together had been. He remembered his uncle telling him that balance would be found everywhere, eventually. He was glad they had found theirs.

As the last of the tiny, glowing bugs flew up, Katara felt something warm next to her hand. For a second, both her and Zuko reached for each other's hands before they realized what they were doing and ripped away. Both blushing they refused to look anywhere but up, which is why they missed the smirk Toph gave both of them as she felt their heartbeats change.


	6. Rhythm

Ok folks, chapter five. Yes, I do realize that this is a Zutara fic but I feel that if Zuko and Katara are meant for each other, Toph and Aang are too. Now that I've opened myself up to even more hate mail, let me end this off by saying that it was quite hard for me to write the previous chapters because Zutara never got much touching, let alone a kiss. I'm very happy to state that that torture is over now :D

**This chapter was inspired by the fic ****Dancing in the Dark ****by ****DamageCtrl. ****If you haven't read it yet go and read it now! Yes, right now! It's too utterly amazing for you not to have read it

* * *

Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Zuko's dancing skills.

* * *

**Rhythm**

The great flying bison landed with only a small lurch on the shore of the island. Still slightly refreshed after only a day of flying, the gaang climbed off and stretched, looking around for the best spot to set up camp. Everybody except Toph did their bit and soon the campsite was set up, complete with burning fire. Katara was slightly irritated at Toph for somehow getting out of helping again, and a slight argument was started between them, despite the attempts to stop it. "Look, I was brought up this way," Toph said stiffly, crossing her arms. "That does not mean that you get to do nothing around here!" Katara argued back. "It's not like you _need _me to help out," Toph pointed out. "Oh no, heaven forbid the _Misses _breaks a sweat!" Katara yelled in exasperation. Toph was about to reply when Sokka loudly interrupted with a stupid question. Everybody, taking the hint, loudly replied and the argument between the two girls were quelled slightly. But the tension remained and so, to break the ice, Sokka decided to goof around. "Miss Bei Fong, would you care to have some of our humble supper?" he said, putting a posh voice on, as he gave her an over-the-top bow. "Like I said before, there's no way you could ever pass for upper class," she replied, appreciating the effort in any case. "I take offence!" Sokka yelped, looking comical enough to make even Katara smile. "I respectfully ask you to take that back!" "As if," Toph scoffed. "I may have been away from the snob scene for a while, but there's no way things deteriorated that much." Sokka looked highly offended, making everybody laugh. Zuko, felling it was time he added his input to the matter, walked over to Toph and bowed his head respectfully at her.

"Good evening, Miss Bei Fong. Is there a problem here?"

"Oh no, Prince Zuko," Toph replied in the sickly sweet voice she reserved only for smart occasions. "I was simply having a spot of fun with a commoner."

Zuko gave the fake laugh he had learnt back in his palace.

"They can be funny at times," he agreed, still in his ultra-polite voice.

"I must admit, I have not had the chance to talk to one of your calibre for quite some time," Toph said with a very fake smile.

"I can relate," Zuko replied. "We should celebrate the meeting of the refined. Would you care to dance?" He extended is hand.

"Why that would be lovely, thank you."

Toph found his hand after one or two tries and Zuko gently pulled her towards him, placing one hand on her waist. The two began dancing, much slower then he was capable. Everybody else was still giggling at them or, in Sokka's case, still slightly bristling at the remarks that had been made. After five minutes or so Toph and him were used to each other's way of moving and they had both realized they had not forgotten the steps.

"Ready to do it properly?" Zuko muttered to her, not bothering with the formal speech.

"Yeah! Let's do it," Toph grinned back.

"One, two-"

They drastically increased their pace, going so fast it almost looked impossible. The dance, although fast, was flawless; both of them had been taught for a long time. The laughter behind them stopped and was replaced with dead silence and the occasional gasp of pure amazement. They both knew that they must look amazing as they executed the complicated steps without slowing or making a single mistake. Finally Zuko signalled to Toph that he was going to stop and they both spun to a graceful halt, panting. Zuko grinned and Toph started laughing as they let go of each other.

"I haven't done that in ages! Jeeze, if it was always that much fun I wouldn't have minded all those years of lessons so much!"

"Ditto," Zuko laughed, still slightly breathless.

"What the ell was that?" Sokka yelped, looking like the two of them had grown extra limbs.

"That was _amazing_," Aang said in awe, unable to close his mouth.

"Wow," Suki agreed, her eyes wide. "How long did you guys have to practice to be that good? I mean, I know the general steps but that…" She trailed off in wonder.

"I had five years of lessons," Toph told her.

"I had eight," Zuko snorted. "And seeing as it's forbidden to learn how to dance in the Fire Nation I had to have Uncle as a partner."

"Ouch," Toph said, wincing for his sake.

"Hey Toph… Do you think you can teach me?" Aang asked, looking very hopeful.

"You should catch on quickly Twinkle Toes; you're light on your feet."

"I can sorta teach you, Sokka," Suki offered, seeing the look on the Water Tribe boy's face.

"Really?" He looked very hopeful.

"Sure," she smiled at him. "And Toph can help us both out at the same time."

"Okay people, let's get this started," Toph instructed.

Zuko smiled and shook his head as the Earthbender started ordering them around. He was internally glad he didn't have to teach any of them how to dance.

"Zuko?"

The hesitant voice made him stop in his tracks and turn around again. Katara had walked over to him without him noticing and was now standing in front of him, biting her lip and twisting her hands together.

"I… Uh… I don't know how to dance…" she mumbled, looking rather embarrassed.

"Yeah, I know," Zuko replied, wondering why on earth she was telling him this.

"Really?" Her eyebrows were furrowed.

Oh right, she doesn't remember what she told me that night…

"You told me once," he covered quickly, making sure he was vague enough.

"Oh… Well I… I want to learn…" She squirmed uncomfortably, waiting for him to say something. But he didn't understand and so he remained silent, looking at her in confusion. "Would you…" She took a deep breath. "Would you teach me? Please?"

"Me?" He jerked back, taken aback at her request. "I… Well I… Why me?"

"Toph is busy with everybody else and you… You really looked amazing," she mumbled, twisting her hands again. "Please, Zuko," she begged him quietly.

He looked at her and realized how much she wanted it. She was _begging _him, for Agni's sake. He sighed, knowing she had him yet again.

"Alright," he gave in.

She smiled at him, and his stomach twisted. He never thought she'd look at him like that… Shaking his head free of the thoughts he motioned for her to stand in front of him.

"I'm first going to teach you the general steps, alright?"

She nodded and he gave her the sequence of the steps, once or twice giving her a practical demonstration. Then he made her go through the steps over and over again. After about half an hour she knew the steps, but she still wasn't _dancing. _

"You're not doing it properly," he frowned.

"Then tell me how to!" she shot back, irritated.

"I think…" He hesitated and then extended his hand to her. "I think it'll be easier if I _show _you how."

She blinked, looking shocked, but took his hand after all. He slowly drew her in until she was as close to him as a beginner needed to be.

"I'm going to put my hand on your waist now," he warned her, not wanting to be attacked.

His words somehow made her blush, and he felt heat rise up to his own cheeks. Mentally kicking himself he took her other hand in his and changed her posture a bit by pressing on her back. Then, cautioning her with his eyes, he took the first step, very slowly. She followed a little jerkily, and they started to dance. In the beginning she stepped on his feet quite a lot, but he never let her see him wince. Just as she started to really get the hang of it, the others started complaining they were hungry.

"Tomorrow?" she pleaded, begging him with her eyes.

"Same time," he told her, making her smile at him like _that _again.

Two days later she could keep up with him perfectly as he danced as quickly as their proximity allowed them to. She was very proud of her efforts, but he knew she was nowhere near as good as Toph. He didn't tell her this, of course. On their fourth day of lessons, he made her leave with him to a secluded spot; he didn't really want Sokka to see this in case he got the wrong idea. He could handle the Water Tribe teen, but he was worried he'd stop his sister from continuing with her dance lessons. And, for a reason he didn't know, he looked forward to the time Katara was in his arms.

"So what are we going to do today, Sifu?" she teased him lightly.

"Today we're going to dance properly. No more beginner stuff."

She looked surprised; he smirked.

"So I haven't been dancing 'properly' for the past few days? What's the difference?"

"The distance," Zuko replied. At her confused look he sighed. "You have to…" He gently took her wrist and pulled her in. "stand closer…"

Her eyes widened as she saw exactly how close she was standing to him. Her face was mere inches from his… His gaze was slightly anxious as he looked at her as he wondered if she objected to it. She swallowed, hating herself for blushing.

_Why am I blushing? I've been this close to him before… Well, not _this _close, but close… My heart is pounding as though… As though I like it… As thought I like _him_… _

She turned to look at his hand, raised and waiting, as she blushed heavily. She was being preposterous. Slowly she raised her own hand and placed it in his, her other hand automatically finding his shoulder. She was then forced to look at him again, and he heart thudded so loud, she was sure he could hear. He gently began dancing and her feet automatically did the steps that had been drilled into her head.

_What was I thinking? I don't like _Zuko. _The guy who tried to kill us all… There's no way… Do I like him? _

She looked down at her feet, concentrating on getting the steps right instead of her thoughts. Zuko's hand left her waist and instead cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him again.

"Don't ever look down when dancing," he instructed her, his breath ticking her neck and sending shock waves running through her body.

As they danced that way, closer and for the while very slowly, she stopped pushing away her thoughts and feelings and sifted through them all as she drowned in his eyes. It was almost impossible for her to step away from him when their time was up, and she couldn't help wondering if he felt the same way. That caused her to scoff at herself; why the hell would he?

Toph immediately picked up the change in her as she came back to the campsite. It was like nothing the Earthbender had felt before. It was as if the Waterbender had made peace with a decision and now her heart was beating easier on the new path she had chosen.

"Hey, Sugar Queen, how's the dancing going?"

"Fantastic," Katara giggled. "I learned _a lot _today."

Toph made a mental note to go and spy on the two the next day to find out what made Katara's rhythm change so much. Unbeknown to her, the rest made the same mental note, wanting to find out what was making Katara smile in that way. Katara didn't know any of this, but she did know a much more important one: She _definitely _liked Zuko, the ex-prince of the Fire Nation.

"Do you remember what you learned yesterday?" Zuko asked her the next time.

"Yes," she said, remembering more then he knew.

"Alright, then let's start. We're going to go a bit faster today, so be ready."

As they took their starting positions someone listened, hidden in the bushes. The listener's head jerked up as a disturbance started behind her. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.

"Look," she hissed. "If you lot _have _to watch them too, you have to _shut up _because I need to _see_. Understood? Not a sound or movement!"

Aang nodded silently, forgetting Toph couldn't see. Suki squished next to the Earthbender, making no sound at all and Sokka peered through the leaves with narrowed eyes. Zuko was awfully close to his sister… None of them made a sound as the two benders danced, unaware of their audience. Zuko increased the pace every now and then and Katara followed without hesitation. Toph was picking up some weird vibrations that were starting to make sense of Katara's sudden change and, despite some unwillingness to see it, the rest had to admit that some things were becoming clear as they saw the two dance.

As the revelation started dawning on those watching, it started to dawn on Zuko too. No matter how hard he tried he could no longer deny it: he was attracted to the girl in his arms. He yelled at himself mentally for half an hour straight, trying to talk his heart out of it. But no matter what he thought the fact remained that, somehow, somewhere, he had fallen in love with the enemy.

I'm in love with her…

The confession made him feel very exposed, and some of it showed in his eyes. Katara saw it there, and her breath caught. Did he…? Could he possibly…? Both of them suddenly stopped dancing, staring into each other's eyes. The audience all froze, hardly breathing, as they watched and listened.

"We've stopped dancing," Zuko whispered, nervous of how close she suddenly was.

"Yeah…" Katara breathed back, her heart hammering in her chest.

Zuko leant forward slightly then froze and jerked back a bit. When Katara did nothing but swallow hard and lick her lips he slowly leant in again. The Waterbender closed her eyes and waited. For an agonising second there was nothing, and then Zuko's lips were on hers. His kiss felt very different to Aang's. Kissing Aang had always felt secure, as if it was something maternal. There was nothing maternal about kissing Zuko. She swore her heart stopped beating in the sheer sweetness of the moment. She felt him sigh against her, and her lips parted as her head swam giddily.

"Sokka, no!"

Suki's cry made both of them jump away from each other. Both pair of eyes were wide and shocked, unsure and scared. Almost in unison they turned to see Sokka striding towards them. Both hearts sank at the look on his face.

"Sokka-" Katara tried.

"Save it. Toph!" he barked. "Make sure he isn't lying. Do it!" he snapped.

Toph slowly crouched, placing both her hands on the ground so she could listen intensely. Sokka turned to Zuko.

"Did you mean to kiss my sister? And don't bother lying."

"Yes," Zuko gulped.

"Toph?"

"Truth," Toph replied calmly.

"What about Mai?" came the next question.

"I broke up with her. I… I was hoping to get back together with her before but now…" Zuko trailed off. "Not anymore; my heart belongs to somebody else."

"True," Toph said.

Sokka nodded curtly as Katara blushed with pure pleasure. Zuko _did _feel the same.

"Do you think you deserve Katara?" Sokka's eyes bore into Zuko's.

"I…" He thought about it. "No," he mumbled.

"Truth," Toph sighed; it was all quite romantic.

Sokka looked at Zuko for another minute before he smiled.

"Welcome to the family," he said, clapping Zuko on the shoulder.

"I- What?" Zuko gasped.

"Eh I knew she was going to fall in love someday," Sokka sighed. "And I know nothing I say or so will change her mind. Although if you hurt her in any way I'm going to have to break every bone in your body."

"Understood," Zuko grinned shakily at him.

Sokka grinned slightly back before turning and nodding at Katara. She gave him a thankful and loving smile before turning to look at Zuko.

_He's mine now… _The thought made her grin.

_She's really mine… _He grinned back.

Toph smiled. The rhythm their hearts made together was perfect.

* * *

So in the end I took both of the ideas of 'rhythm' I was thinking about. Both the dancing rhythm and Toph's way of seeing. Sorry if it seems I took somebody else's idea; I didn't mean to, honest.


	7. Lick

So a quick warning: Katara might be a little OOC in this chapter, but it's only coz Toph and Suki egged her on so much. Hope it makes you at least giggle; it isn't the best plot…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar or Appa's tongue.

* * *

**Lick**

Quite frankly, she was sick of all of them. _They _had _spied _on _her _and so had happened to catch Zuko and her kissing, and now none of them would leave her alone. Aang kept grinning at her and talking about Avatar stuff like how nations should be united to create peace. Like that was the only reason she had kissed the Firebender back. Sokka kept giving Zuko sideways glances, as if he was going to suddenly grab her and tear her clothes off or something. But Suki and Toph were worse then both the boys.

"You mean you haven't kissed since then?" Suki was looking at her intently.

"Its not like we've had much _privacy _in the past two days," Katara snapped.

"Oh yes you have," Toph put in matter-of-factly, making Katara wince and blush.

Toph was, of course, right. There had been many chances for Zuko to kiss her again, but he had not. That was why she was so mad at Suki and Toph; they were hiting the nail on the head.

"I…" The Waterbender couldn't find anything to say.

"Katara?" Suki asked her gently.

She looked away, her throat closing up.

"Maybe I did something wrong," she whispered, finally voicing her fears. "Maybe he… regrets…"

"No!" Suki said, hugging Katara tightly. "Oh, sweetie, no! That's not it at all!"

"How do you know?" Katara murmured, looking at Suki with a pleading expression, begging to be reassured.

"Because I can feel the way his heartbeat increases every time he looks at you." It was Toph that answered. "Sugar Queen, have you seen Zuko around females? How does he act around them?"

"Uhm…" Katara was confused, but she thought anyway. "Really awkward?"

"Exactly!" Toph said. "He doesn't really know what to do. _That's _why he hasn't kissed you again: he's unsure. He's unsure you really want him, and he's unsure of what he's allowed to do."

Really? He's so arrogant about everything else… Could he really doubt his hold over me?

"So what do I do? Talk to him?"

"You could," Suki agreed. "Or you can do one better." Her eyes were shining wickedly.

"What's-?"

"You show him," Toph smirked, answering her unfinished question. "You show him just how much hold he has over your heart."

"How do I do that?" There was a pit of unease in Katara's stomach; she didn't like the looks on either girl's face.

"Appear in his tent with as little on as possible," Suki giggled in her ear.

The Waterbender's eyes widened as she realized exactly what the other two were getting at.

"_Oh!_ You mean… You mean like _that_…"

"Take it from me, sometimes the girl has to show the guy that she's serious. That's how I got Sokka to kiss me that time at the Serpent's Pass."

"You're not blushing, are you?" Toph demanded. Katara stuttered a no and her frown disappeared. "Good, because in order for you to get Prince Zuzu to understand you have to get rid of your good girl attitude. And, just in case you want more assurance," she added when Katara was silent. "it worked for Aang and I too. The whole woman takes charge thing, I mean."

Katara looked at her friends as she thought about it. A slow smirk made its way onto her face as the details started to take shape.

This is going to be fun…

It was dark as he walked alone along the shoreline. As he walked he thought about everything that had happened since he had left to join the Avatar. Lost in thought as he was, he still kept an eye out for Katara. When darkness had fallen and there was no sight of her he had gotten worried. Sokka and Aang had no idea where she was, and all Toph had said was she was around somewhere and if he was so worried why didn't he go looking for her? Suki had giggled like she knew a secret he didn't. He had just left to look for her.

A grunt from overhead made him look up in time to see Appa fly overhead. He wondered vaguely where the bison was going but didn't pay any attention to his presence until a scream sounded from behind the dune up ahead.

"Katara!"

He broke into a run and skidded round the corner, arms at the ready.

"…Katara?"

This time her name was a question. She stood in front of him, blushing and wearing nothing but her white underwear. She looked… wet.

"What are you…? Why are you…? Where are your clothes?" he spluttered out.

Her face burned even more, and she could barely bring herself to look at him. She wished she knew Earthbending so the earth could just swallow her up.

I'm never listening to Toph again as long as I live.

"Katara?" Zuko took a hesitant step forward when she didn't answer. "Did someone…?" His voice burned with the hidden hate.

"No!" she quickly assured him. "No… I…" At his questioning look she groaned. "Alright fine, I'll just tell you! Toph and Suki told me that the reason you hadn't kissed me again was because you were unsure and that I had to take matters in my own hands and show you… So I…" She blushed even more furiously. "I told them I'd wait for you here and I took my clothes off and… smeared my stomach with honey. Suki said it felt nice when someone kisses you there," she all but whispered. "But Appa must have smelt it and so he came and… licked it off himself."

He stared at her with his mouth open, not sure which emotion to display. Suddenly a laugh bubbled out of his throat and before long he was doubled up, laughing more than he had in ages. Katara stood there, angry and humiliated with a bright red face. At that moment she hated Toph and Suki. With a groan she turned, starting to head back. A warm hand caught her wrist and she was spun around.

"Wait, don't go. I'm sorry for laughing," Zuko told her, able to keep his voice free of too much laughter. "You have to admit, it's rather funny." She looked away, blushing still, until his hand cupped her chin and made her look at him again. "But it's more flattering then funny," he murmured, his eyes burning with something that was definitely not anger.

"Really?" she squeaked, the look smouldering in his eyes making her breathless.

"Really," he murmured. "I'm sorry I didn't kiss you. I didn't want to make you do something you didn't want to do."

"No, you let Toph and Suki do that," she grumbled.

"Sorry about that," he breathed in her ear, making her shiver in delight. "Maybe I can make up for it…"

Oooooh I've missed his lips…

"So now are you sure about your hold over me?" she murmured when they broke apart. "I don't want to have to do this again."

To her amusement _he _blushed.

"Well… Yes I… Uhm…"

She giggled and silenced his stuttering with a kiss, lacing her fingers into his hair.

"You know," she whispered, reaching behind her as he kissed her neck. "I think Appa missed a spot…"

A smirk appeared on Zuko's face that made her breath catch. He began kissing her jawbone, slowly moving downwards to her neck where she had dabbed the last of the honey from the pot she had bought. She was about to close her eyes in pleasure when something made them widen instead.

"Appa NO!"

SLURP!

"Aaaaaagh!"

"Eeeeeew!"

* * *

In case you didn't get it, Appa got both of them this time. ;)


	8. Smug

Yes, I _can _count so I do realize that my seven Zutara Week themes are finished. It's just that my muse, a very temperamental thing let me tell you, decided to give me an idea for one more chapter. It came to me after I was searching **devART **for Zutara Week pictures and coming across last year's themes. So this last chapter is based on day three of last year's Zutara Week. _It is very short _and yet I kinda like the idea, if I may say so myself.

**A last note: **For continuity's sake this happens, like the rest, after The Southern Raiders and before The Ember Island Players. After this chapter comes The Ember Island players and the first part of Sozin's Comet and then the rest of the finale follows. Except, of course, Aang doesn't get his kiss from Katara. Oh the power of a fanfic writer… XD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar or anything from it.

**Smug**

"How did last night go?" Toph smirked as her and Suki cornered Katara after breakfast.

The Waterbender glared at both of them.

"I'm never listening to you two _ever _again!"

"It couldn't have been _that _bad," Suki soothed her.

"Appa smelled the honey," Katara sniffed. "He came and beat Zuko to the licking part. And when I tried to save the situation with the leftover honey, he licked _both _of us."

"Eeeew…" both girls chorused.

"Oh, Katara, I'm so sorry," Suki gasped.

Toph just packed up laughing. Katara sighed, but didn't get angry. She couldn't; Zuko still wanted her and, despite the icky end to her romantic night, his kisses had been better then she had expected.

"Are you going to try again tonight?" Suki asked her, dropping her voice in case Sokka was around.

"No!" Toph had stopped laughing. "She's done her bit, now it's _his _turn to do all the hard work. I forbid you to do anything!"

Suki giggled as Toph made Katara promise, then she shushed them as the three boys appeared, making plans for the day. From what the three girls overheard Sokka, Zuko and Aang were going out for what Toph scathingly called 'man time' for the day.

"Aaaw but then there's a chance he'll be too tired tonight," Suki said, giving Katara a sympathetic look.

"Even if he didn't go anywhere today, I don't think anything exciting would have happened tonight," Katara said, unknowingly too loudly.

"What do you mean?" Toph asked her, as the three guys eavesdropped, unseen.

"I'd have thought… Him being a Firebender you know…" Suki said hesitantly, reading Katara's expression as she said it.

"I wish," the Waterbender grumbled. "I'm beginning to think his fierceness is just a front, because I haven't seen any of it yet."

"None?" Toph gaped, while Sokka started to choke and Zuko's ears went red.

"Nope. With me he's just… _gentle_."

Sokka had stopped choking and was now laughing silently with Aang while Zuko simmered in anger.

"Gentle? Seriously?" Suki asked blandly.

"Yep," Katara said glumly. "I can't tell he's a Firebender when he kisses me."

"We're leaving, girls!" Sokka called, him and Aang waving as they started off. "Zuko?"

"I'll be right there," Zuko called back, still making a beeline towards the wide-eyed girls.

"How much did he hear?" Suki hissed, getting only shrugs in return.

"Gentle, am I?" he fumed, right in front of Katara.

"Uh…" Her eyes widened more.

He scoffed and grabbed her, yanking her to him roughly. His lips were much, much warmer then they had been before, and there was a new intensity to the way they pressed against hers. Suddenly he gripped her tightly and her blood erupted into flames. She was on fire, burning and unable to breathe. A vague part of her mind told her that if he wasn't there holding her up she would have been on the floor as her knees had just given out. She had no sense of time or space or anything except glorious, gut-wrenching fire that spun her round and round without the need for oxygen…

Zuko pulled his lips from hers and she instantly gasped for air, her eyes as wide as they could go, her entire body shaking.

"Think abut that next time you want to call me gentle," he growled at her in a way that made her swoon even more.

"Katara? Sweetie, can you hear me?" Suki asked her, rather anxious as Zuko walked to join the other two boys and Katara clutched at her for support.

A nod.

"Can you breathe properly?" Toph asked her, snorting with laughter.

A dazed shake.

"Are you alright?" Suki was still worried.

Vigorous nodding. Alright? Bloody hell she was brilliant!

"How was it?" Toph whispered slyly.

"Not… gentle…" Katara gasped.

Zuko's face split into a smug smirk.

* * *

Please review! I'll even settle for flames if I have to…


	9. Manipulative

So my plan to end this fic on chapter 8 went well… Not. Last year's Zutara Week themes kept running through my head. Finally I couldn't take it any more and I gave in to my muse. So this is the next chapter to my fic. It leads on from **Smug **and is between the two episodes The Southern Raiders and The Ember Island Players. I promise this is the last chapter. I swear. I hope you enjoy: I giggled and smirked as much in this one as I did in **Smug**, even though it's almost as short and I'm not sure the story stuck to the theme manipulative…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the trees in the show.

* * *

**Manipulative **

Wearily five of the gang members trudged back to their camp. They had won the battle they had just been engaged in, but one of them had paid a terrible price for the victory.

"Katara, I'm sure someone in the village will find it…"

Aang looked at the Waterbender with false hope on his face. She did not lift her head, but her hand strayed almost unconsciously to the base of her throat. Finding it bare she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"I mean," Aang went on, panicking as he saw she was on the verge of tears. "We're going to be camped outside the village for a while. And it's really small so it relies on the river a lot…"

"Aang, I bended that river. I know how strong its current is. Nobody's going to find my mother's necklace," Katara replied dully, her voice breaking slightly.

Aang looked down and everybody else looked at Katara with sympathy. Sokka put his arm around her shoulders. He also had the feeling that, this time, Katara would not be as lucky as the last time her necklace had disappeared. And it hurt him to see her hurt.

"So," Toph spoke up, changing the subject abruptly, as only she could. "Does anybody know where the sixth member of our family is? He was supposed to meet us a couple of meters back."

Katara's eyes widened as her heart clenched in her chest. She had been so caught up in the loss of her necklace that she hadn't even noticed Zuko was still gone. Her heart started beating faster.

"Toph, can you feel him?" Aang asked worriedly.

Toph shook her head, crouching low to the ground just to make sure. Aang unfolded his glider and took off, scanning the ground for the prince. After a few minutes he came back, his face now truly worried.

"He must be under the cover of the trees," Sokka told them soothingly. "That's why you couldn't spot him, Aang."

Aang's face lost some of its worry, but Katara was unconvinced. She turned around to face the way they had just come, her eyes scanning for any sight of him. Her hands clenched into fists when he didn't appear. This time it was Suki who embraced her.

"He's okay," the warrior told her softly, squeezing her shoulders. "He must have just got held up."

"Yeah, come on: this is _Zuko _we're talking about. We've seen from personal experience that he's hard to kill."

Suki gave Sokka an exasperated look as Katara flinched at the word 'kill'.

"Well it's no use we just stand here," Toph put in. "Let's get back to camp; that's the first place he'll go, anyway."

Katara said nothing but willingly followed the others back. Her heart felt even heavier now then it had before. She could live without her mother's necklace, even if it would always leave a dull ache in her. But even the thought of living without Zuko…

_He's okay; don't think about that. He's okay _she chanted to herself, over and over.

Momo greeted them cheerfully as they entered their current campsite. Everybody automatically began doing their bit to prepare supper, all the while keeping an ear out for Zuko's return. Finally, after the tension and worry had built to the thickness where it could be cut with a knife, Toph's head jerked up.

"Well, it's about time!" she yelled to somebody they couldn't see.

Katara whirled around and felt waves of relief wash over her as Zuko came into sight. Then her eyes widened as she saw the many bruises and cuts that lined his skin, some showing through the tears in his clothes. He grinned sheepishly at them, showing he was not hurt more seriously then that.

"Where the heck were you?" Sokka snapped at him, trying to sound angry but sounding relieved in the end.

"I decided to take a swim," Zuko answered calmly.

Everybody gaped at him; they all knew how cold and rough the water of the river near to them was.

"Well, that explains how you got so battered," Suki murmured, looking him up and down.

"You just… decided to go swimming?" Aang asked him incredulously.

"Yes, I just decided randomly to go swimming," Zuko stressed.

"Okay…" Sokka said, playing along. "So… what happened? While you were randomly taking the swim you decided you wanted?"

"Well I was just swimming along, minding my own business, when I saw something," Zuko replied, seeming offhand. "And I decided that while I was already swimming in the water I might as well get it."

"Oh, well that was lucky. Spotting something worth getting while randomly swimming," Sokka said, still playing along. "So what's this thing used for?"

"Uh…" Zuko hesitated for a split second. "It hasn't really got a use. Not for the three of us guys, anyway. And it's not really Suki or Toph's type. No offence," he added hurriedly, and both said girls shrugged and told him none was taken. "So," he went on, digging in his pocket and pulling something out. "I thought maybe Katara would want it?"

He held out the thing in his hand and Katara's breath stopped. He was holding her mother's necklace and it was undamaged. She met his steady gaze with one of wide-eyed amazement. He smiled at her, making her melt inside.

"Zuko…" she breathed, starting forward and gently running her fingers over the necklace. Suddenly she flung her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice catching.

He smiled and gently turned her around so her back was facing him. Then he gently slipped the necklace around her neck and began fastening it. Both of them were suddenly reminded of the night with the pirates…

"It turned out a bit different then last time," Katara remarked, making Zuko grin sheepishly.

"Last time?" Toph asked, intrigued.

"I lost my necklace once before," Katara told her and Suki, who was also not familiar with the story. "When I was helping Haru free his people."

"I found it and gallantly returned it to her," Zuko added, making Katara glare at him.

"'Gallantly returned it'? You tied me to a tree!"

Toph cracked up laughing as Zuko grinned sheepishly again.

"I offered to return it though," he reminded her, trying to save himself.

"Yeah, if I gave you Aang in return," Katara shot back, unable to keep from smiling. She paused for a while, then added, "Although the offer to save me from the pirates was quite valiant."

"So what happened when Katara refused to hand you Aang?" Toph asked, amused.

"I was left on the tree," she replied with a sniff.

"Yeah and I just had to stand there and wait for the Avatar to appear, all the while looking at her tied to that tree like _that_."

Katara stopped and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, trying to work out his tone.

"What was wrong with me?" she asked him, her demanding tone sounding more like a hurt plea.

"Nothing… much."

"Tell me!" she insisted, refusing to be brushed out. "Was my hair all over the place?"

"Your hair was fine," Zuko replied.

"Did I have something on my face?" Katara pressed, following him as he went to start the fire.

"No," he replied simply.

She glared at him, worried and irritated at once. What could possibly have been wrong with her? Her hair had been fine, her face hadn't been a mess… She wracked her brains all through preparing dinner for them, her face a permanent frown that deepened as she got nowhere. Finally, true to Toph's prediction, she couldn't take it any more.

"Tell me what was wrong!" she yelled at Zuko, glaring a foot away from him.

"I told you," he said, his eyebrow raised. "There was not-"

"Zuko!" she exploded, almost stamping her foot. "Tell me or I'll freeze you to the bottom of the river!"

"You really want to know?" he asked her, his voice slightly amused.

"Yes!" she yelled, exasperated.

"Well…" he hesitated and looked at her with a small smirk. "You were wearing _far _too many unnecessary layers of clothing for my liking."

Sokka choked on whatever he was eating at Katara's entire face flamed up. She tried to reply, but could find nothing to say. Zuko chuckled, which sent little shivers of pleasure through her, and then walked away, ignoring Sokka's glares.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes?" Toph suddenly asked, causing Aang to blink in surprise.

"Yeah?"

"Why haven't you tied me to a tree yet?"

Aang's eyes widened and he started spluttering incoherent things, blushing furiously. The sight made everybody else laugh.

The following evening found all of them except Katara lounging in the grass. The Waterbender had gone off to pick fruit for supplies, beyond irritated when everybody refused to go with her. Aang and Toph had already been on the grass, their hands entwined. Sokka and Suki were sparring with a lot more touching then any other little battle and Zuko had just refused on the grounds that he and Sokka were going to spar later that evening.

No matter how much she begged, threatened or told him how it had been _her _to heal his bruises and fix his clothes, he would not go along. Finally she had stomped off by herself, muttering curses under her breath at them, and plotting ways to get them to go along the next time.

Twilight had fallen when a little boy from the village jogged up, a rough piece of parchment in his hands.

"Are you Zuko?" he asked the Firebender, who nodded in surprise. "I gotsta tell you something from Katara," he said, looking rather pleased with himself. "She was picking with my brothers and me and when we saids we was going home she asked me to tell you four things. The first one is that there's nobody around in that part of forest that she's picking fruit in. The second thing is…." He checked the bit of parchment. "There's some spare rope around from the games we's played the other day. Third she says that there's a solitary tree that's standing there away from the others. Oh, and it's far away from water," he added after consulting his list. "And last I gotsta tell you that picking made her really hot so she"- another glance down at the parchment-"took off all unnecessary layers of clothing."

Zuko stood stock still, his face blank as the boy ran off, pleased with himself. After about a minute the Firebender's head snapped up.

"Sokka!" he yelled, his voice sounding strangled.

"What's up?" Sokka called back from inside his tent.

"We're going to have to reschedule our duel!" Zuko's voice reached his ears.

Sokka frowned and turned towards the mouth of the tent. They had been looking forward to this spar for days.

"Why?" he called back, sticking his head out of the tent.

He was just in time to see Zuko sprinting into the trees.

"I'm going to help Katara pick fruit!" came back the yelled reply.

* * *

I am aware that I may have parodied the conventional capture Zutara fics. I didn't mean to be horrid or snide about anything, so if it came across that way then I'm really sorry. I only wrote this for my own amusement.

* * *

**DELETED LINES FROM THE END OF THIS FIC: **

For reasons unknown to the Water Tribe teen, the rest of the gang erupted into laughter.

"Hmmm… We're going to have to go shopping for food tomorrow," Suki mused, chuckling.

"But Zuko just went to pick fruit with Katara," Sokka said, utterly puzzled.

"Uh… yeah I don't think they'll get much picking done," Suki giggled.

"It's too early to pick fruit," Toph agreed with an evil smirk on her face. "The tree first needs to be _deflowered_."

Suki and her giggled while Sokka and Aang looked on, utterly confused. The two of them met each other's eyes and shrugged. Something told them they didn't want to understand what that meant.

* * *

I wanted to add them, but it disrupted the flow of the story and so I had to take them out :(

If you didn't get what Toph was referring to either I commend you: you have a very pure mind.


End file.
